VANCOUVER, BC--(Marketwired - April 04, 2016) - Renan Uflacker, M.D., FSIR, was honored posthumously on April 3 with the Society of Interventional Radiology Foundation Leaders in Innovation Award. The award was announced during the Society of Interventional Radiology's (SIR) Annual Scientific Meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia.

"Dr. Uflacker's pioneering work helped transform interventional radiology into the cutting-edge medical field it is today," said Stephen T. Kee, M.D., MMM, FSIR, SIR Foundation board chair. "His work -- from the endovascular treatment of liver disease, to peripheral vascular disease, aneurysms and interventional oncology -- provides a bedrock upon which new generations of interventional radiologists can learn from and further develop."

Uflacker was a professor and director of the division of vascular and interventional radiology at the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, for 34 years. He was part of a national trial that resulted in the approval of the first covered stent for biliary application in United States. Prior to his death, Uflacker was participating in a long-term project to create and grow new vessels in limbs with lack of blood flow.

The Dr. Gary J. Becker Young Investigator Award recognizes promising young practitioners to encourage the pursuit of academic careers. This year's recipient was Sarah White, M.D., M.S., associate professor of radiology at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW), Milwaukee. White's work focuses on clinical and translational research in the division of vascular interventional radiology.

The following individuals were recognized for their outstanding achievements in research and innovation with the Dr. Constantin Cope Medical Student Research Award: Alexander Pasciak, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore; Megan Sue, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles; Richard Boyer, Vanderbilt University, Nashville; and Tianshen Hu, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas.

SIR Foundation's Resident/Fellow Research Awards recognize high-quality research by trainees. This year's recipients are Ali Alian, M.D., University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas; Paul M. Haste, M.D., Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis; and Olaguoke Akinwande, M.D., Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore.

This year's Frederick S. Keller, M.D., Philanthropist of the Year Award was presented to Gordon McLennan, M.D., FSIR, professor of radiology and biomedical engineering and program director of the Interventional Radiology Fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, in honor of his outstanding commitment to SIR Foundation. McLennan, a past foundation chair, inspired SIR members and industry to support IR research through active involvement with the Discovery Campaign. As chair, he helped start the SIR Foundation Gala.

Contact information

Interviews are available by contacting SIR's communications department staff: Elise Castelli, SIR senior manager PR and communication, [email protected], (703) 460-5572, or Ellen Acconcia, SIR senior manager, web and content strategy, [email protected], (703) 460-5582. From April 2-6, they will be available in the Vancouver Newsroom at (778) 331-7650 or (778) 331-7651.

About the Society of Interventional Radiology Foundation

SIR Foundation is a scientific foundation dedicated to fostering research and education in interventional radiology for the purposes of advancing scientific knowledge, increasing the number of skilled investigators in interventional radiology and developing innovative therapies that lead to improved patient care and quality of life. Visit sirfoundation.org.

About the Society of Interventional Radiology

The Society of Interventional Radiology is a nonprofit, professional medical society representing more than 6,100 practicing interventional radiology physicians, scientists and clinical associates, dedicated to improving patient care through the limitless potential of image-guided therapies. SIR's members work in a variety of settings and at different professional levels -- from medical students and residents to university faculty and private practice physicians. Visit sirweb.org. The Society of Interventional Radiology is holding its Annual Scientific Meeting April 2-7 at the Vancouver Convention Centre, British Columbia, Canada. Visit www.sirmeeting.org. 

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